Saturday, April 29, 2017

ULTIMATE BONDCAST decides the BEST Bond film of them all

Recently I had the extreme pleasure of joining fellow Bond fanatics Brad Hansen, Athena Stamos, Ryan Provencher and Bob Mitsch to record the Ultimate BONDCAST in which we individually ranked and then debated which James Bond films we consider the best (and worst). In the end, the average of our rankings revealed the Best James Bond film of them all!

It was a marathon night and now it's a marathon podcast (nicely edited by Brad Hansen). I know this is about the movies and not the books, but I hope you'll have a listen anyway. Enjoy!



Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Horowitz has started work on his second BOND

Author Anthony Horowitz tweeted the following about his second James Bond novel today:


Horowitz's "James Bond book 2" will be released by Jonathan Cape in the UK in 2018. You can read more HERE.

Monday, April 24, 2017

Jeffrey Deaver turned down a second BOND


A loyal reader from North Carolina recently attended a book signing for Jeffrey Deaver's new novel, The Burial Hour. Deaver was the author of the 2011 James Bond continuation novel, Carte Blanche, which rebooted 007 into the present day. At the time the author said he was open to writing another Bond, and that he might set it in Australia.

During the signing Deaver was asked if there were any plans for that second Bond novel. Deaver revealed that he had been approached to do one, but decided to turn it down. He said he didn't care for the amount of creative oversight and the monetary split that comes with doing a Bond novel.

Will we ever see a continuation of that modern day James Bond timeline? If so, it appears it won't be Deaver doing it.

Thanks to our friend in NC for this.

Friday, April 21, 2017

Dynamite will reveal the ORIGIN of James Bond

Bleeding Cool reports that Dynamite Entertainment revealed huge news about their James Bond comic line at the Diamond comic book retailer summit in Chicago. An upcoming series will explore the "never before told" origin of James Bond 007.

This will be the 100% origin story of the secret agent James Bond, officially approved by the Ian Fleming estate. 
The creative team have not yet been announced, but Bleeding Cool understands that it is intended to be set in the original James Bond timeline, with his adventures in World War II.

Of course, James Bond's origin was explored in the semi-official James Bond The Authorized Biography of 007 by John Pearson as well as the Young Bond novels, but this is still pretty exciting!

Full details on the Dynamite panel at Bleeding Cool.

UPDATE: The official Ian Fleming Publications website has confirmed the World War II timeline and provided a few more details HERE.

Steve Cole reveals RED NEMESIS special specials

Steve Cole has given fans a peek at the endpapers of his new Young Bond, Red Nemesis, and also revealed that there will be 5 special "red adorned" editions mixed into the stock of signed limited hardcovers.


Red Nemesis will be released on May 4 in the UK in hardcover and paperback. Pre-order at Amazon.co.uk.

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

30 years ago it was NO DEALS, MR. BOND

This has been a big month for anniversaries, so how about another! It was 30 years ago that John Gardner's sixth Bond novel, No Deals, Mr. Bond, was released by Putnam. Unlike most of the Bonds, this one first appeared in the U.S. I'm not sure of the exact date of publication, but the ad below appeared in the April 19, 1987 Los Angeles Times Book Review, so we'll let today be the anniversary.


My own recollection of No Deals Mr. Bond was finding it in the University Village Waldenbooks during my second semester at USC. I was so involved in school, I didn't even know when this one was coming! Sorry to say it was not one of my favorite Gardner books, then or now, but each Gardner title holds a special place in my memory, and looking at the cover of No Deals still brings me back 30 years.

U.S. edition from Putnam (left). UK edition from Jonathan Cape (right).

No Deals, Mr. Bond is available in a new reprinted edition via Amazon.com (U.S.) and Amazon.co.uk (UK).

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Hammerhead teams returns for KILL CHAIN

Bleeding Cool reports that the creatve team behind Dynamite's acclaimed James Bond: Hammerhand is returning for a new series, Kill Chain. Details below.

James Bond: Hammerhead team of Andy Diggle and Luca Casalanguida are joining up again to take the British Super-Spy out for a run in the new series Kill Chain. When a counterespionage operation in Rotterdam goes catastrophically wrong, James Bond finds himself in the crosshairs of a plot to smash NATO. Someone is assassinating allied agents, and 007 is the next target in the kill chain. Having kept the peace for decades, the old alliance is collapsing, pitting MI6 against its former ally – the CIA! 
Writer Andy Diggle says, 
I’m thrilled to be assigning James Bond his next mission. His exploits have been an inspiration from my earliest years, and Dynamite Entertainment and Ian Fleming Publications Ltd. have proved to be the perfect creative partners. 
Regarding the context of the new series, Diggle says, 
The decision to update the stoic Bond of Ian Fleming’s original novels from the moral certainties of the 1950s to our shifting, complex, present-day world was inspired – and inspiring. We live in treacherous times, and James Bond is the hero we need to navigate them. I have many more stories to tell, and I’m having the time of my life telling them. Working with Luca Casalanguida on James Bond: Hammerhead was one of the most creatively satisfying and enjoyable collaborations of my career, and his art for Kill Chain raises the bar even higher. Greg Smallwood’s stunning covers perfectly capture the blend of suave and brutality that has made Bond one of the century’s most enduring icons. Ably backed up by Chris Blythe on colors and Simon Bowland on lettering, we have the perfect tight-knit team to continue bringing you the exploits of the world’s greatest secret agent. 
The debut issue of James Bond: Kill Chain features cover artwork by Greg Smallwood (Archie, Moon Knight), interior artist Luca Casalanguida’s, and Juan Doe (Guardians of the Galaxy) respectively. James Bond: Kill Chain #1 will be solicited in the May 2017 Previews catalog and slated for release in July.

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

TITAN releases James Bond Classic Comic Strip Collection 1960-66

Titan Books has released The Complete James Bond: Goldfinger - The Classic Comic Strip Collection 1960-66. The book is a hardcover and collects the vintage Daily Express comic strips of: Goldfinger, Risico, From A View To A Kill, For Your Eyes Only, The Man With The Golden Gun, and The Living Daylights.


Purchase James Bond: Goldfinger - The Complete Comic Strip Collection 1960-66 on Amazon.com (U.S.) and Amazon.co.uk (UK).

Monday, April 10, 2017

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE turns 60

Ian Fleming's From Russia With Love celebrates its 60th Anniversary this month (first published April 8, 1957). To mark the occasion, Ian Fleming Publications has released this anniversary image and is holding a special competition. Details below.

First published in the UK on the 8th April 1957, Ian Fleming's legendary James Bond thriller FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE is 60 years old today! 
The novel, famous for its inclusion on President Kennedy's top ten book list, has been published and enjoyed all over the world, with many fans citing it as their favourite Fleming thriller. 
With its unforgettable sequences on the Orient Express, in the backstreets of Istanbul and in the dark corridors of the SMERSH headquarters, we're very pleased to announce this anniversary and encourage readers old and new to delve into the pages of this 50s classic. 
Help us celebrate and win some special James Bond prizes by entering our cover design competition, details HERE.

Thursday, April 6, 2017

ZERO MINUS TEN at 20

It was 20 years ago this month (April 3) that Raymond Benson's first continuation novel Zero Minus Ten was published in the UK by Hodder & Stoughton. It marked the first of six original novels and three novelizations by the author.

In ten days, Hong Kong will pass into the hands of the Chinese–and 007 is on his way there to undertake his most dangerous and thrilling mission yet. 
In the Australian desert, a nuclear bomb explodes. There are no survivors, and no clues about who has made it or detonated it. 
In England, two police officers are shot dead when they apprehend a cargo vessel in Portsmouth dock. Vast quantities of heroin are later found on board. 
And in Hong Kong, an explosion rips through one of the colony’s famous floating restaurants, killing the entire Board of Directors of EurAsia Enterprises Ltd, a multi-billion dollar shipping corporation. 
The People’s Republic of China is about to resume control after a century and a half of British rule–and the colony is a powder keg waiting to explode. The tension reaches breaking point when a solicitor from one of Britain’s most prestigious law firms is killed in a car bomb at Government House. 
These apparently random events are connected–and Bond must find out how and why. From the seedy strip clubs of Kowloon, 007’s investigations bring him into conflict with ruthless Triad gangs, a power-hungry Chinese general–and a beautiful night club hostess called Sunni Pei. 
All enquiries seem to lead to EurAsia Enterprises Ltd–and its assassinated owner. James Bond is about to come up against one of the most formidable adversaries of his career. 
A new era of high adventure, intrigue and danger begins for James Bond with Raymond Benson’s eagerly awaited 007 thriller–a story of sensuality and nonstop excitement.”

Zero Minus Ten was released in the U.S. by Putnam on May 5, 1997.

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

RED NEMESIS hardcovers signed and ready to ship

Author Steve Cole has signed the full stock of limited Red Nemesis hardcovers, as you can see below from his recent tweet. The book will be relased on May 4. It can be pre-orderd at Amazon.co.uk.

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